anouk jurgens's List: Hunger/Famine Africa

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  Kenya

  • Early warning information indicates that the  country is faced with severe drought in the pastoral, agro-pastoral and marginal  agricultural areas of Eastern and Coast Provinces. There is near total crop  failure in the marginal agricultural areas due to the poor performance of the  recently concluded rainy season, the third failed main season in a row. The  situation is compounded by current food shortages and the extremely high prices  of staple food in the country.

• 923 million.
  
• Marasmus is caused by a lack of protein and energy with  sufferers appearing skeletally thin. In extreme cases, it can lead to  kwashiorkor, in which malnutrition causes swelling including a  so-called 'moon face'.
  
• Iron deficiency
• Vitamin A deficiency
• Iodine deficiency
• Zinc deficiency

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• Every 30 seconds an African child dies of hunger

• Acute malnutrition is the result of sudden weight loss due to starvation and  disease.

• How do aid agencies keep track of hunger?  

   

  They already know which areas are most at risk and use a wide variety of  tools to measure changes in food availability.  

  These include satellite weather technology to estimate rainfall and crop  assessments which can help predict harvests.  

  They also carry out nutritional surveys so that they know how much people are  eating and also examine the political situation which might affect the hunger of  a population.  

  Local staff in the field also channel information from the ground.  

  Areas of hunger can change dramatically within a single country and these  tools create a picture of areas that need special help.

• What are people given to eat and why?  

  The World Food Programme emergency ration includes about one and a half cups  of rice or flour, a tablespoon of beans or lentils, a spoonful of oil and a  pinch of salt.  

   

  It costs an average of $0.29 and provides 2,100 kilocalories - the  recommended daily energy intake for active adults.  

  The people most at risk of malnutrition - especially women and children -  often receive specially blended foods that contain all the vitamins and minerals  they need to survive.  

  They may be given this food in biscuit form or in a flour which can be mixed  into porridge.  

  The average cost of a day's ration of high-energy biscuits is $0.55.  

  In the very first days of an emergency - such as a refugee exodus or natural  disaster - when people are not able to cook their own food - aid agencies can  provide biscuits, rations or even freshly baked bread for people.

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